About the Book

Book: A Hundred Magical Reasons

Author: Laura DeNooyer

Genre: Biographical historical fiction, literary fiction, book club fiction

Release Date: January 7, 2025

Most fairy tales have happy endings, but is it too late for this one? After all, Mrs. Charlotte Rose Gordon, the disgruntled town recluse, is eighty-eight and has grown weary of fighting the dragons of her past—including the desire to clear her husband’s name of a 1918 crime.

Dragons of a different kind pursue Carrie Kruisselbrink.

During 1980, the summer of her private rebellion, Carrie defies parental expectations and pursues her café dream. While waiting for funding, she takes a job with Mrs. Gordon.

As Mrs. Gordon unfolds the story of her oppressive childhood and delightful friendship with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author, L. Frank Baum, Carrie never expects to encounter her own fears and soul-searching.

In this modern-day fairy tale that weaves between 1980 and the early 1900s, Mr. Baum’s influence impacts each woman’s personal quests on a hero’s journey neither anticipates. Can Carrie and Mrs. Gordon find common ground in battling their respective dragons?

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About the Author

Laura DeNooyer thrives on creativity and encouraging it in others. A Calvin College graduate, she is a teacher, wife, parent of four adult children, and an award-winning author of heart-warming historical and contemporary fiction. Her novels are perfect for fans of Patti Callahan Henry, Erin Bartels, or Amanda Cox. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading, walking, drinking tea with friends, or taking a road trip.

More from Laura

Smitten!

That was me—smitten—after reading a biography about L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Baum was an innovative, larger-than-life personality—no surprise there, given that he created the Land of Oz.

He was also a family man with a keen understanding of children and a high regard for women. (His mother-in-law was a suffragist!) His humor and creativity gave him the capacity to bounce back from failure many times.

Having always wanted to write a novel set in the turn of the century, Baum fit perfectly into my plans.

Fun fact: The Baum family summered at the same lake where our family vacations yearly. Though we were at opposite ends of Lake Macatawa near Holland, Michigan—and opposite ends of the century—I felt a connection.

Unstoppable Imagination meets Doubt & Fear

Imagination plays a huge role in the story. My main character Janie is at odds with her rigid parents who have no use for fiction, fantasy, or fairy tales. She is only allowed to read The New England Primer, The Pilgrim’s Progress, and the Bible. Then eight-year-old Janie meets the inimitable L. Frank Baum who stretches her imagination in every way possible. This is a major tension throughout the story.

This ties to 1980, where my protagonist Carrie wants to run a literary-themed café against her parents’ wishes. They have their own goals for her. As grown-up Janie (now eighty-eight-year-old Mrs. Gordon) unveils her childhood troubles to Carrie, they both make startling discoveries.

Bonded by stories and baking Oz-inspired recipes, Carrie and Mrs. Gordon’s intergenerational friendship gradually grows and deepens—one facing fears about her future, the other living with regrets about her past.

Brains, Heart, & Courage

Whether you’re an Oz fan or not, I believe you’ll enjoy getting to know L. Frank Baum. Besides getting the facts straight, I wanted to create his essence on the page so readers experience what it was like to sit on the Baums’ Macatawa porch with him, whether running a printing press or drinking lemonade.

Baum’s stories are all about stirring the child’s imagination, and that’s a key element of my novel. Since we’re all made in the Creator’s image, everybody is creative in their own way. I hope this story inspires readers to use their own imagination to pursue dreams.

But dreams only grow in the soil of confidence. As Mrs. Gordon challenges Carrie, “Do you want to live by your passions or by your fears?” One of those fears is being yourself vs. wearing a mask.

Join the journey of two women who are hugely impacted by the wisdom, heart, and courage of the creator of Oz.

Author Interview

Can you tell us a little bit about what readers can expect from your books?

I love writing the kind of stories I like to read—complex and character-driven with complicated relationships and messy family dynamics. I like delving into the gray, murky areas of life, into false appearances and misjudgments. My stories serve food for thought as well as hope and second chances—tales that “redeem the years the locusts ate.”

Regarding genre, I’ve hopped all over the place. Story ideas call to me without regard for genre boundaries. All That Is Hidden is also Southern historical fiction, set in western North Carolina in 1968. A Hundred Magical Reasons is biographical historical fiction—and dual timeline. Both of those would be considered literary fiction. Another dual timeline story, The Broken Weathervane (September 2025) qualifies as contemporary women’s fiction (2015 and 1950s). My next two books will be women’s fiction and Biblical fiction, respectively.

Perhaps the common thread in most of these is a small-town setting with multi-layered family drama that raises difficult questions. They all make good discussion for book clubs.

Can you share 5 random facts about this book? 

This novel has numerous references to 1970s pop music (think Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt, the Eagles, James Taylor, etc.)
Two intergenerational friendships are spotlighted: Mr. Baum and young Janie who visits yearly (early 1900s timeline); Mrs. Gordon (a grown-up Janie) and Carrie (age 22) in the 1980 timeline
Mr. Baum dabbled in film (1908-1914) and even created the very first scene of Dorothy stepping from black and white into color—thirty years before the MGM Wizard of Oz movie (1939) brought us technicolor!
The story is jam-packed with references to Oz-inspired baked goods and desserts that were a part of Mrs. Gordon’s tearoom when she was the proprietor.
A favorite quote from Aunt Sophie is: “Sugar sweetens everything it touches. Like books and stories. They flavor your whole life. They sweeten every day.”

What was the inspiration behind it? 

Two things inspired this story: 1) reading a biography about L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), and 2) learning that he and his family summered at the same lake where our family vacations yearly near Holland, Michigan. Though we were at opposite ends of Lake Macatawa—and opposite ends of the century—I felt a connection. Thus, I chose to focus my novel on the summers he spent at Macatawa.

Baum was an innovative, larger-than-life personality—which is no surprise, given that he created the Land of Oz. He was also a family man with a keen understanding of children and a high regard for women. (His mother-in-law was a suffragist!) His humor and creativity gave him the capacity to bounce back from failure many times.

The turn of the century was a time of great innovation with new inventions and growing technology. Baum’s creativity bubbled up alongside the innovations of that time and is reflected in many of his children’s novels.

I wanted Baum’s imagination to play a big part in the novel. So, my story spotlights a young girl, Janie, whose pious parents have no use for fun, frivolity, fairies, fantasy, or fiction. Then Janie meets L. Frank Baum who stretches her imagination in every way possible. This is a major tension throughout the story.

This ties to 1980, where my protagonist Carrie wants to run a literary-themed café against her parents’ wishes. They have their own goals for her. As grown-up Janie (now 88-year-old Mrs. Gordon) unveils her childhood troubles to Carrie, they both find common ground. 

What was the most challenging part of bringing this book to life? 

The most challenging part of this story was capturing L. Frank Baum’s personality. I did a ton of research to learn as much as possible about him and the early 1900s.

But this was more than getting the facts straight. This was about creating his essence on the page so readers would experience what it was like to be with him—to sit on the Baums’ Macatawa porch together, whether running a printing press or drinking lemonade.

As a storyteller, actor, filmmaker, and author, Baum was constantly creating ways to tell new stories and engage children. I wanted to show how he would draw out Janie’s imagination. Which activities would they do together? What was family life like around the dinner table at the Baum household? We know a bit about that from biographies, but I wanted to present Baum through the eyes of a girl who visits from year to year.

Whether readers are Oz fans or not, I think they will enjoy getting to know L. Frank Baum.

What do you hope readers will take away from the book? 

Baum’s stories are all about stirring the child’s imagination, and that’s a key element of my novel. I firmly believe that since we’re all made in the Creator’s image, everybody is creative in his own way. I hope this story inspires readers to use their own imaginations.

Other themes are woven in too, such as learning to be yourself when others try to keep you in a box. A Hundred Magical Reasons would make a great book club book. I hope the story raises questions and encourages pondering.

Additionally, I think readers will love the dialogs and growing friendship between twenty-two-year-old Carrie and eighty-eight-year-old Mrs. Gordon—one facing fears about her future, the other living with regrets about her past. I see intergenerational friendships as vital and hope that readers will grow and deepen their own friendships.

Whether readers are Oz fans or not, I think they will enjoy getting to know L. Frank Baum.

 Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers keep up with what’s next?

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